Why is it important to encourage children to be curious? Why does it matter if children are raised to think of new ways to solve problems? What does this have to do with future success in business?
From interviews I conducted with 70 entrepreneurs, I found that successful entrepreneurs are curious. They start their company or organization because they figured out a different way of doing something. And they figured out a different way of doing something because they were raised to be curious. They were encouraged to ask questions. They were raised to imagine what could be done differently. How something could be improved. What they could do to make a difference.
Many future entrepreneurs explore a passion while growing up. For some — particularly the artists, actors, musicians, and filmmakers — that leads directly to what they do as an adult. Because they found something they loved, they worked really hard at it. And because they worked really hard at it, they got really good at it. And they began asking themselves: “How can I do this better than it’s been done before?”
A perfect example of this is Jon Chu, the director of Wicked, who began filming when he was in second grade when his parents gave him a video camera to shoot a video of their family vacation. It became his passion throughout high school and into UCLA film school. He always wanted to think of more interesting ways to film something. He is still doing that today, exploring how to film Oz differently and bring it to life in a more exciting way. “How can I provide a cinematic experience…that says change is hard and kicks the tires through one of the most iconic American fairytales?” Wicked recently won several major awards on the circuit.
The passion-curiosity connection
Most future entrepreneurs don’t have one single all-consuming passion from an early age. Instead, they move from one enthusiasm to another. This kind of restless curiosity is often a common trait of people who go on to create their own paths in life — and who may become serial entrepreneurs. They want to learn everything they can about something, and then something else catches their interest and they want to learn everything they can about that.
Isn’t this also true with successful companies? They constantly have to reinvent themselves. They have to add new products or services; they have to figure out a new way to market themselves; they have to change their branding to stay out front of their competition. Maybe they’re moving from legacy TV to TikTok. Maybe they’re adding products for a different demographic. Maybe it’s something huge, like Netflix deciding to stop renting DVDs and start producing original content. These sorts of changes don’t happen unless you’re curious — unless you’re constantly asking yourself what could be better.
Alexis Jones is the founder of I AM THAT GIRL, a young women’s empowerment initiative with over one million followers. She also started ProtectHer, an educational program for young men launched in Division 1 locker rooms on the importance of respecting women. And then she added her latest company, Joy Hunting. She is an author, an activist, and a public speaker. Her restless curiosity was also obvious when she was young. She started in modeling, then went into sports, then camp counselor, then telling stories, then acting, then public speaking.
In some ways, Jon’s and Alexis’ youths could not have been more different: He had one passion from an early age, while she kept switching the pursuit she was obsessed with. But in other ways, their experiences growing up were similar. Both put 100 percent into everything they did. Both were always willing to try new ways to do things. Both showed great grit and tenacity from an early age. Both developed resilience.
Curiosity as the lead
Perhaps a key to their success is that both were raised to be curious. Curiosity is one of the most underrated traits of successful entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurship is about identifying opportunities, solving problems, and continuously adapting to change. These all require a desire to learn and explore and a willingness to try new approaches. Entrepreneurs won’t be successful if they accept the status quo; they must be willing to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and try new ideas.
Without curiosity, entrepreneurs risk becoming stagnant, relying on outdated strategies or products that have become boring instead of embracing new ideas that drive long-term success. Curiosity enables entrepreneurs to see gaps in the market, pivot when necessary, and innovate more cleverly than their competitors.
Curiosity also powers resilience. Everyone encounters setbacks. Curious entrepreneurs see setbacks as learning experiences. As Billy Jean King says, “We don’t call it failure, we call it feedback.” Curious entrepreneurs actively seek feedback — from their employees as well as from colleagues outside their organization. They are willing to try new solutions, experiment with new opportunities, and explore different strategies to solve problems.
When entrepreneurs have been raised to be curious, they see failure as an opportunity to ask, “What could I do to improve what we’re providing? What other approaches are there? Does anyone have a better idea?” This willingness to explore, to keep evolving, learning, changing, and growing is what ultimately leads to their achievements. Successful entrepreneurs will constantly question what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how they are doing it.
This is an era of unprecedented change. Entrepreneurs who were raised to be curious, to ask questions, to embrace change, to adapt, and to push boundaries will be successful. Those who are complacent and accept the status quo will not.
